Wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth are the third molars. Their main function is chewing. They generally erupt between the ages of 16 and 25. Due to limited space, they may erupt only partially or not at all. In the latter case, the tooth is said to be impacted. It’s important to have them assessed regularly by a dentist to ensure that they stay healthy and don’t cause you any problems. A panoramic x-ray is a good tool for assessing tooth size, root formation, eruption axis, available space, jawbone, etc.
The decision to extract a wisdom tooth
The decision to extract a wisdom tooth depends on several factors:
- The difficulty of accessing the teeth for cleaning.
- The likelihood of it causing medium- to long-term problems.
- The pain caused by the teeth.
- The risk of developing a cyst or benign tumor with an impacted tooth.
- Wisdom teeth that grow horizontally can harm the neighboring second molar. If the latter is significantly destroyed, it will also have to be extracted.
- Impacted and semi-impacted teeth can cause localized disease of the gums and surrounding bone.
- Inflammation of the tissues surrounding the crown of the tooth and infection of the soft tissues of the face are possible complications of impacted or semi-in impacted wisdom teeth.
The best time to extract wisdom teeth is in late adolescence. At this age, the bone is more malleable and the roots may not be fully formed, making treatment less complicated. What’s more, recovery is faster.